The Hour of His Judgment

Wars, the moral collapse of society, diseases, the breakdown of the family unit, and so much more all speak to the reality that our lives are daily lived on a battleground. As Revelation 12:12 says: “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Heaven knows the threat Satan poses to the inhabitants of earth, because the great controversy began there (Rev. 12:7), with Satan’s slanderous allegations against God’s character (Eze. 28:16). But praise God, thanks to Calvary, Satan’s reign of terror has an expiration date. On the cross God’s character was vindicated fully and completely, once and for all time. Thanks to Jesus, this epic spiritual conflict won’t last forever. Hallelujah!

We who are guilty can have our sentence reversed in the judgment.

Revelation 14 pictures God’s final message of hope. His appeal to a world under attack is pictured as being carried by three angels zooming in the midst of heaven. The first message opens in Revelation 14:6, 7, where John records, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ ”

I was interested to discover recently that the phrase “hour of His judgment” in Revelation 14:7, in the original Greek, can be understood in one of two ways. First, it can be seen as a judgment carried out by God—and certainly Daniel 7 brings into focus a judgment that takes place in heaven, at the throne of God, which Daniel 7:22 says is “made in favor of the saints of the Most High.” This is such wonderful, refreshing news, because Jesus stands for His people in the judgment. What could be better than this? We who are guilty can have our sentence reversed in the judgment thanks to Jesus, who is our Savior and advocate.

This means that we have the opportunity to make a choice.

The second approach is to read it as a judgment directed toward God Himself. In other words, it’s when God’s character will be vindicated before the universe. This means that as end-time disciples of the living Christ, we have the opportunity to make a choice, to cast our vote and bear witness to the truth of God’s character as we have experienced it personally. After all, in any trial the witnesses are not on trial; but they give testimony concerning the one who is on trial (Rev. 12:11).

This is a powerful thought. You and I have the opportunity to bear witness to the truth of who God is every day. Our lives, lived for Him, are powerful evidence against Satan’s lies. As a pastor friend of mine in Australia puts it, the three angels’ messages can be summarized in just six words: God’s truth (first angel); Satan’s lies (second angel); your choice (third angel). When we choose to live in a way that puts Jesus first and seek to bring glory to Him in every way, and when we choose to worship Him as our Creator, we are bearing powerful testimony to His goodness. We are saying that we have found Him to be worthy of our love and loyalty. May your life bear testimony to the beautiful truth of who God is: God is love.